Today in World War II History—11 May 1944

British 99th Light AA Regiment, Cassino, Italy, 12 May 1944. (Imperial War Museum)
75 Years Ago—11 May 1944: Operation Diadem: Allied drive to Rome opens before midnight with artillery barrage from Cassino to the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Countdown to D-day: Allies officially begin pre-invasion bombing of German airfields in France to drive the Luftwaffe away from the invasion beaches.
In Italy, Germans release Jews of Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and Swiss citizenship under pressure from these neutral governments.
Movie premiere of The White Cliffs of Dover, starring Irene Dunne.